Review: World History Sources

This site is a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University that was made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. The materials address every region of the world--some resources are specific to Canada--from the beginnings of human society through the present time. They include 1) scholarly evaluations of online archives of primary sources with a view toward quality and teaching value; 2) eight guides written by prominent world history scholars on strategies for analyzing major types of primary sources--specifically, music, images, objects, maps, newspapers, travel narratives, official documents, and personal accounts; 3) eight multimedia case studies of scholars interpreting and adding historical context to these types of primary sources; and 4) sixteen case studies written by high school and college instructors describing how they used a particular primary source to teach in their classes.

Given its broad historical and geographical scope, this site holds value for faculty in literature, classical studies, anthropology, political science, sociology, geography, music, art, and area studies, as well as all for history faculty of all specializations. However, many of these faculty may not know about the primary sources available and the most effective ways to use them in the classroom. This site will help educational developers advise faculty on creative ways to teach with a wide variety of primary sources. It could even serve as a base for a workshop on teaching with primary sources.